Bengals Sign 2, Waive 1 To Fill Out Practice Squad

The Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday filled out their practice squad by signing tight end Zach Gentry and defensive end Garrett Nelson while waiving linebacker Tyler Murray.

The Bengals have had vacancies on the practice squad since filling just 14 of the 16 spots last Wednesday, the day after the deadline to get the active roster to 53. The Bengals added running back Demetric Felton the following day to bring the practice squad to 15 players.

What Does Zach Gentry Bring to the Bengals?

The 6-foot-8, 265-pound Gentry joins Tanner Hudson as the second tight end on the practice squad, with Irv Smith Jr., Mitchell Wilcox, and Drew Sample comprising the three on the active roster.

Sample is almost exclusively a blocking tight end, while Wilcox and Hudson have accounted for only 35 career catches.

Gentry, a fifth-round pick of the Steelers in 2019, has 39 catches for 303 yards in his four-year career, with most of the production occurring in the last two seasons. He started 13 games for the Steelers in 2022, catching 19 passes for 132 yards. The year prior, he started 12 games and caught 19 passes for 167 yards.

Pittsburgh used Gentry on 49.7 percent of their offensive snaps in 2022, up from 40.3 percent in 2021.

Gentry becomes the fifth Michigan Wolverine on the Bengals, joining safety Dax Hill, punter Brad Robbins, cornerback DJ Turner, and running back Chris Evans.

Nelson (6’4″, 245) is a rookie from the University of Nebraska and was originally signed as an undrafted college free agent by the Dolphins.

Murray had been with the Bengals since signing a UDFA contract in May.